Buffer for water-closet seats.



G. PPAU,

BUFFER FOR WATER CLOSET SEATS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28,'1909 L1 114* 9mm Patented Feb. 16, 191.5.

CHARLES PFAU, OF CINCINNATI,

oHIo, ASSIGNOR TO THE PFAU MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BUFFER FOR WATER-CLOSET SEATS.

anolo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16. 1915.

v Application filed May 28, 1909. Serial No. 498,946.

zen of the United States,and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamiltonand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buffersfor Water-Closet Seats, of which the following is a specification.

My inyention relates to water closet attachments, and the object is to provide a support for the seat to reston the bowl, whereby the seat is removed from the damaging action of water and urine which is Esually present between the seat and the owl.

My invention consists in a buffer of elastic material of elongated formation, and means for securing the buffer to the seat, whereby it will lie across the edge of the bowl, and the securing means will be out-of contact with said how].

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a seat supplied with my improvement. the seat being removed from the bowl. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the seat on the bowl. Fig. 3 is a section on a line corresponding to the line mw of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the buffers adapted to be attached by means of nails. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a buffer attached with screws. Fig.6 is tive view of another buffer, where the nails have their heads embedded in the buffer and are thus permanently secured therein, the heads of the nails b ing represented by dotted lines.

Where closet seats have been supplied with buffers heretofore as a means of reducing the impact of the seat on the bowl, as well as retaining the seat out of contact with the damaging substances, the bumpers were round and presented convexsurfaces to the surface of the upper edge of the bowl, which also is usually convex, so that the contact of the buffer and the bowl as a supporting means is manifestly insecure. This is especially an objection when the seats must be fitted with bowls which the makers of the seats have never seen. and, therefore, cannot provide for accurately. As is well known, with a view to securing a'proper cooperation between the seat and the bowl thus a perspec-- brought together from different makers, the

seats are usually provided with adjusting means in their hinges'to allow variation of the seat with respect to the openings in the bowl to receive the seat fittings, and this ability of the seat to vary with respect to the bowl augments the annoyance due to insecure support of the seat on its buffers and results in displacement of the seat with the buffers sliding over the edges of the bowl due to the Weight imposed on the seat. Such displacement not only results in displacement of the seat with respect to its true position on the bowl but allows the seat to rest with its varnished surface on the upper edge of the bowl, to be damaged by the contact of the substances present, which contain acids and other elements peculiarly destructive to the finish of the seat. \Vhen the waterproof finish has been destroyed the water is free to enter the wood to warp it and to enter the glue joints of the seat to soften the. glue and allow the separation of the joints under the warping action of the wood. so that the destruction of the seat practically takes place. Such a result is inevitable regardless of the quality of the construction when the seat itself is allowed to contact with the damaging substances.

The urine, and the acids derived from it by continued exposure to the air, are likewise very corrosive to any kind of metal present on the under side of the seat, and it is therefore desirable to reduce the exposed surface of metal to a minimum. It is therefore desirable to provide for securing the buffers to the seat by such means as will involve little or no exposure of metal on the under side of the seat. WVith bufi'ers that present such convex surfaces to the surfaces of the bowl even accurate placing of the buffers on the seats when they are placed on the bowls, which can by no means he insured, will not result in secure support of the seat when. the seat is free to move slightly as before mentioned.

To avoid these difiiculties, my present invention consists in an elongated butter 1, of rubber, having openings 2 near its ends through which openings nails 3 may be driven into the seat to hold the buffer in place. These openings, throughout most of their extent through the buffer, are large enough to admit the heads of the nails 3, so that the nails may be driven down below the surface of the buffer and will hold the buffer in place by contact with only a relatively thin part of the buffer at its bottom around the opening. Thus, the metallic nail heads are brought far below the surface, and being of small extent, such chemical action as takes place upon them will cause no annoyance and will be completely hidden within the openings. The buffer 1 is thus secured to the seat 4 nearits forward end about in line with the hinges 5 of the seat with their lengths disposed radially of the bowl 6 across the flushing rim 7 thereof, so that the buffer brings its middle part 8 into contact with the rim. This middle part of the buffer is amply long between the openings 2 in the buffer to permit of considerable varia tion of the position of the buffer on the seat,

. or of the seat, with the buffer on it. with respect to the bowl, without bringing the parts of the buffer in the regions of the openings 2 into contact with the bowl. By bringing the securing means outside theregion of contact .of the buffer with the bowl the weight imposed upon the seat does not result in straining the buifer in the region of its securing means, so that it will always be effectually held in place to do its duty as herein described.

The round seat bumpers, in addition to the objections hereinbefore enumerated, are usuallv provided with a tack having its head embedded in the buffer at a point directly in line with the support which the buffer must afford for the seat, so that the whole weight upon the seat results in a strain imposed on the rubber around the head of the tack. This strain..together'with the wear on the buffer, results in the bursting of the buffer from over the head of the tack, leaving the tack exposed to be bent or broken oil", with the result that the buffer is practically destroyed, and the seat thus is allowed to rest on the bowl, even though the buffer had been correctly placed and hadoperated with the desired efficiency before it was destroyed.

By providing my improved buffer with openings for the insertion of the nails to attach the buffer, the attachment of the buffer is rendered less difficult with the consequence that the workmen will do better work in placing the buffers. \Vhere screws 3 are used as in the buffer 1 illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing, passing through openings 2 in the buffer with their heads countersunk as are the nails 3, this attachment of the buffers is rendered still less difficult and more secure. \Vhen so desired, the buffers may be provided with the nails secured in them, such as the buffers 1 With the nails 3? illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawing. Here,

-. the head of the nail is embedded in the rubis confined to the part 8 of the bulfer between the nails. The buffer with the nails thus secured in it is rather more diiiicult of application than those through which nails or screws are inserted, although the heads of the nails are completely covered and protected against the action of the damaging substances. However, the metal surface exposed when the nails or screws are merely sunken in the openings in the buffers is so small that such fastening means is to be preferred.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p

1. The combination with a water closet bowl having a rim adapted to support a seat, of a seat mounted to be raised and lowered relative to said rim and arranged to have a portion thereof overlie said rim, an elongated buffer of'cushioning material interposed between said portion and rim and extending across, the rim transversely thereof, the buffer having terminal portions at its ends projecting beyond the corresponding inner and outerlimits of the engaging portion of the upper surface of the rim, and fastening devices one engaging each of said terminal portions of the buffer and the seat, said devices being located beyond any possible impact area of the buffer with the bowl, and constituting the fastening means securing the buffer in place with its entire outer portion free for expansion and contraction throughout the extent thereof and permitting the intermediate portions of the buffer to wear through to the seat without danger of marring the rim by contact with said fastening means.

2. The combination with a water closet bowl having a rim adapted to support a seat, of a seat having a portion arranged to overlie said rim, a buffer interposed between said seat and rim arranged to directly engage the latter, and means fastening the buffer to the seat. said fastening means being located beyond any possible impact area of the buii'er with the bowl and permitting the buffer to wear entirely through from the outer to the inner surfaces thereof and without danger of marring the rim by contact thereof with said fastening means.

3. The combination with a water closet bowl having a rim adapted to support a seat, and said seat suitably hinged and mounted to overlie said rim, of a yielding buffer secured in fixed position to the under side of said seat and having an extended substantially straight rim-contacting surface interposed between" said seat and rim and exrelative to each other, substantial 1y as detending crosswise of the rim a substantial scribed. distance on opposite sides of the center thereof whereby a firm and uniform bufling I CHARLES PFAU' 5 surface is at all times present between the Witnesses:

seat and rim irrespective of the varying JAMES N. RAMSEY,

transverse positions of the seat and rim FLORENCE HAMMEL. 

